I am currently in the UK, and therefore a long way away from my usual take-out haunts. This includes Oren's Hummus, where my go-to order is one of the hummus bowls. The combination of silky smooth, faintly (but not overpoweringly) garlicky hummus topped with spiced tender shawarma chicken or golden roasted cauliflower would be enough to lure me in, but add to that the amazing pillowy flatbread, with which to scoop it all up, and I'm a regular.
So when my son sent me a cool recipe for hummus, that he invented (thanks Evan!), I knew just what I wanted to do with it. Since I am catering for my pescatarian mother at the moment, I went the cauliflower route for me, and simply added some shrimp (simply sautéed with a dusting of smoked paprika) to mum's bowl. The result was delicious, if I do say so myself. Oren's hasn't lost itself any customers (the flatbread I bought to accompany the bowls wasn't a patch on theirs), but at least I know I can get my fix when I'm not in their neighborhood.
Hummus Bowls with Smoky Roasted Cauliflower
Serves 3 with hummus to spare
Hummus recipe courtesy of Evan Farrar
Hummus:
2 15oz cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup tahini
1 cup pickled jalapeños
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon
1 bunch fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)
Cauliflower:
1 head cauliflower, broken/cut into bitesize florets
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
salt and pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
2. Spray a baking tray with olive oil. In a large bowl, mix the cauliflower with the olive oil, paprika and cumin. Arrange the cauliflower over the prepared baking tray, and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
3. While the cauliflower roasts, put the tahini, garlic and juice of half a lemon into a food processor and blend, gradually adding iced water, one TBSP at a time, until it is lighter in color and smooth.
4. Rinse and drain the cans of chickpeas and add to the food processor with a hefty pinch of salt. Blend until almost smooth, adding more iced water to get the consistency you want.
5. Add the pickled jalapeños and a bunch of cilantro (thicker stems removed, but smaller stems fine) to the food processor, and blend until completely smooth (this takes some time, but you want it completely silky smooth).
6. When the 20 minutes on the cauliflower is up, take it out of the oven and add the olives - toss to combine, and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes, by which point the cauliflower should be tender and browning nicely.
7. Serve in a wide bowl, with the hummus spread over the bottom, and the cauliflower/olive mixture piled on top, with plenty of flat bread to mop up every last drop :-)
